FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art slot-in type disk drive to include a chassis 10′, a drive motor 30′, a speed reduction gear assembly 40′ and a slide block 50′. The chassis 10′ includes a spindle motor 11′ and a read/write head 12′. The spindle motor 11′ is used for rotating an optical disk 20′ while the read/write head 12′ is capable of reading/writing data on the disk 20′.
The speed reduction gear assembly 40′ is meshed with the drive motor 30′ and the slide block 50′ such that activation of the drive motor 30′ results in rotation of the speed reduction gear assembly 40′, which, in turn, drives the slide block 50′ along an entrance-and-exit route defined by the disk 20′. The slide block 50′ is mounted at one side of the chassis 10′ so that reciprocal sliding of the slide block 50′ along the entrance-and-exit route results in upward and downward movement of the chassis 10′, thereby permitting the spindle motor 11′ to clamp the disk 20′ or freeing the latter from the spindle motor 11′.
The prior disk drive further includes an insert-and-eject device 60′ that is capable of moving the inserted disk to a reading position, where the disk will be clamped and later rotated by the spindle motor 11′. The insert-and-eject device 60′ includes a plurality of guiding levers 61′, 62′, 63′, which are activated by the slide block 50′. Upon detecting an extension of the disk 20′ partially through the entrance-and-exit slot 100S′, the drive motor 30′ is activated. At this time, the slide block 50′ is driven via the speed reduction gear assembly 40′ to slide along the disk ejecting direction (i.e. toward the entrance-and-exit slot 100S), where, the guide levers 61′, 62′, 63′ contact the periphery of the disk 20′ in order to bring the disk 20′ inward of the disk drive to a predetermined position above the spindle motor 11′. The disk 20′ is then clamped by the spindle motor 11′ due to upward and downward movement of the chassis 10′ while the guide levers 61′, 62′, 63′ simultaneously move away from the disk 20′. The disk 20′ is rotated smoothly by the spindle motor 11′ since being spaced apart from the guide levers 61′, 62′, 63′. No wearing is occurred between the disk 20′ and the guide levers 61′, 62′, 63′.
However, during the disk inserting operation, the disk 20′ is often disposed at an uneven horizontal level due to unbalance of the user's applied force. Moreover, the electronic components, such as the chassis 10′ and the drive motor 30′, are generally located in a lower side of the housing, frontward and downward insertion of the disk 20′ with respect to the entrance-and-exit slot 100S′ may result in scratches on the surface of the disk 20′, thereby damaging the recorded data and unable to retrieve the data. Even if, under high precaution, the user can maintain an even horizontal level during the disk insertion operation, the disk 20′ is subjected to incline downward due to its gravity weight, thereby tending to scratches on the surface of the disk 20′.